Could trucks be a better way to transport (and even store) hydrogen than pipelines? Yes, says a research team led by the MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), mainly because of the flexibility they offer particularly in the early stages of the hydrogen roll-out. Kathryn O'Neill at MIT explains the findings. A pipeline can take 10 years to build, during which time the locations where the supply and demand must be met are likely to have moved, given the … [Read more...]
Where to start building Hydrogen pipelines? Near industrial hubs for steel, ammonia, and plastics
Converting gas pipelines to carry hydrogen is going to be expensive. We don’t even know how much hydrogen we’ll really need in 2050, given electrification – the cheaper and preferred option to replace fossil fuels – will always be the first option. But we do know that certain industries like steel, ammonia, and plastics will always need hydrogen as a feedstock. Writing for WEF, Kevin Tu, Matthias Deutsch and Gniewomir Flis at Agora Energiewende … [Read more...]
“The Role of Gas” in Europe and China: EVENT VIDEO on security of supply, gas to power, competitive markets & renewable gases
We present the videos of the second of our three, 4-session workshops on the opportunities for European energy solutions providers to take part in China's energy transition. In this workshop, held in February, we looked at gas. Demand in China is expected to keep growing. That’s because China doesn’t just need to replace coal, it simply needs more energy. Europe’s gas sector has decades of relevant experience, technology, policy, planning and … [Read more...]
How Biden can start to find a compromise on Nord Stream 2
The Trump administration and the U.S. Congress threatened sanctions on European companies helping to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and that is still the current position of the new U.S. government. To end the deadlock, president Biden needs to change the tone of the debate and focus on the true interests of the affected parties, explains Nikos Tsafos at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He summarises those … [Read more...]
Satellite monitoring of Methane leaks makes policing them more effective
Satellites, drones, and airplanes should be used to detect methane leaks across the million active wells and hundreds of thousands of miles of pipelines across the U.S. That’s because without proper monitoring it’s extremely hard to find leaks, let alone regulate them. Meredith Fowlie at UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas describes their paper that uses such data to, first, show that 2.3% of upstream natural gas production is leaking. That’s … [Read more...]
What effect will blending Hydrogen into the Natural Gas network have?
What are the technical barriers to blending hydrogen into the natural gas network? How well will the pipelines cope? How will the blend affect equipment and appliances? What are the costs and environmental impacts? The answers to these key questions are being sought by a collaboration of laboratories, industry and academia led by NREL, called HyBlend. The long-term impact of hydrogen on materials and equipment is still not understood. The effect … [Read more...]
Russia’s evolving gas relationship with the European Union
Europe has long had a touchy relationship with Russia, with Europe’s dependence on Russian gas being a potentially major source of concern. But away from the rhetoric, the dependence is growing, and the question is how to diffuse tensions. Keeping Ukraine in the picture could be a key move, argues Marco Siddi, senior research fellow with the European Union Research Programme. Courtesy of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. … [Read more...]
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